Gunars Janovskis

person

Biography

Prose writer Gunars Janovskis (1916‒2000) was born in Helsinki to the family of a captain serving in the navy of the Russian Empire. Janovskis and his family returned to Latvia in 1919, and Janovskis spent his childhood near the sea and on fishing trips with his father. He began his studies in classical philology at the University of Latvia before fleeing to Germany in the autumn of 1944. Immediately after the end of the war, he resumed his studies at the University of Bonn in Germany. In 1947, he moved to the United Kingdom and initially became a manual labourer, working as a field hand and at a brick-kiln. Janovskis is considered one of Latvia’s best prose writers. During his life, he wrote more than 30 novels. Most of his work focuses on life as a refugee and relationships between Latvians in the refugee community. In many of his works, the author also includes details from his own life, giving his stories a somewhat autobiographical feel. Janovskis was a true master of the form and his novels contain all that is characteristic of this type of prose: passion, adventure, resignation to one’s fate. Some of his novels contain more exotic elements, while others focus on everyday life and the events of his time. The reader may also encounter snatches of heartfelt dry wit in some of his works.

library_books

Bibliography

Novels
Pilsēta pie upes [The Town at the River] (1992)
Helmī [Helmi] (1988)
Ļaudis pie jūras [People at the Sea] (1987)
Cilvēks, kas gribēja vairāk [A Person who Wanted More] (1987)
Ines (1982)
Purvā [In the Swamp] (1981)
Novakare [Late afternoon] (1980)
Un kas par to [And what about it] (1978)
Kaijas kliedz vētru [Seagulls Scream Storm] (1977)
Kur gaiļi nedzied [Where the Roosters don't Sing] (1974)
Uz neatgriešanos [To No Return] (1973)
Balsis aiz tumsas [Voices behind the Dark] (1972)
Rolands [Roland] (1971)
Ēnu menuets [Shwadow Minuet] (1969)
Dziesma mežam [Song for the Forest] (1969)
Pēc pastardienas [After the Judgement Day] (1968)
Pie Tornas [At Torna] (1966)
Pār Trentu kāpj migla [Mist rises over Trenta] (1966)
Svešumā [In Foreign Parts] (1966)
Bez ceļa [With no Way] (1965)
Sōla (1963)

Stories
Kur sunim vieta [Where the Dog has a Place] (1978)
Ieklausies naktī [Listen to the Night] (1975)
Nelūgtos ciemos [Uninvited Visit] (1970)

Poetry
Mans stāsts un 33 dzejoļi [My Story and 33 Poems] (1997)
Paskaties kļavā [Look at the Maple] (1974)

Children's literature
Izlase [Collection of Stories] (1980)

Miscellaneous
Smiekliņam: pastāsti un feļetoni [For a little laugh: stories and satire] (1967)